


Caves, Cobwebs, and Can’t This Stuff Stop Happening To Them?

by TimidMarshmallow



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Arachne - Freeform, another one of my attempts at a faux horror story, cave misadventure, webs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 04:21:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13494870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimidMarshmallow/pseuds/TimidMarshmallow
Summary: The cave is a lot more sinister than they remember...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t seen anything written with the spider lady monsters, so here we go! 
> 
> Also, have you ever watched the daemons outside of the battlefield? They are even creepier than when you fight them...

“What was that noise?” 

“Your imagination. Again. Watch where you’re going.” The shield ignored the gunner’s insistence. “I’m serious, I really did hear something! ...We’re going to get eaten because nobody’s listening.” Prompto rubbed his arms, shivering. “Which way do we go, Noct?” 

The king sighed. Greyshire Grotto was a lot more labyrinthine than they remembered, and it was hard to figure out which way actually led to the sealed door that Ezma swore was there. At least they had brought their coats this time. “Ignis, do you remember?” 

“If I am correct, then... that tunnel led us to the tomb. Ezma didn’t give us clear directions, so let’s start near there and systematically search.” Ignis stepped carefully on an ice patch. The four men made their way through the cold cave, and they stopped when they came to an elemental deposit. 

“Oh, good, fire. My butt’s still cold from sliding down that ice.” Prompto stood next to the warm stone, careful not to actually touch it. Noctis drew the magic out. “Hey, I was using that!” 

“And now you’re not.” Noctis crafted a spell. “Here, Jumpy, carry this. Don’t accidentally set us on fire.” 

“Like you?” 

“Can it, Gladio.” 

-o-

They had found some daemons, which was no problem. The men were much stronger than when they had first departed Insomnia. 

“I think we took a wrong turn somewhere. I don’t remember this part of the cave.” Ignis let his daggers dissipate. He was thankful for the magical storage, it would have been a nightmare trying to carry all the weapons they had amassed. “Let’s make our way back to the ledge.” 

“That was... this way?” Noctis couldn’t remember anymore, everything looked the same. And they had been walking for a good half hour. And he was getting really sick of daemons. And his stomach was starting to rumble, the last time they’d eaten-

“What was that!? I definitely heard something!! It sounded like, like... laughing? But evil!” Prompto nervously scanned their surroundings, finding only the frozen cave walls and the darkness of the tunnel they were traversing. Gladio huffed, agitated. “Seriously, you need to calm down already, it’s getting annoy-“ 

A crackle of lightning shot towards them, and all four barely dodged in time. 

An enormous Arachne emerged from the shadows, and was readying another lightning strike. “Is everyone alright!?” Ignis tried to remember as much about the monster as he could as the team sounded off. 

“Yep!” Noctis warped, pushing the monster back and distracting it before it could generate another lightning attack. The shield summoned his greatsword. “I’ll cover!”

Ignis didn’t hear his youngest friend, and called out again. “Prompto!?” 

“I’m over here!” Prompto hadn’t answered because he was fumbling with the bullet that would release a starshell, trying to roll away from an attack while loading the gun was quite challenging. The light from his gun blinded the monster, and it lashed out. The gunner hurried out of the path of its swinging limbs. 

Noctis warped at the monster again as Ignis threw a dagger, and the flurry of attacks knocked the Arachne onto one of the cave’s many sliding tunnels. It scrambled wildly for purchase, but there was none. The monster slid down into the dark while shrieking horribly. 

“Doubt that thing is dead. Come on, let’s move before it finds a way back up.” Gladio glanced at his friends. One, two, three, and himself. Good. No injuries. 

Ignis was performing a similar scan as Noctis chose a new path for them to walk. “Guys? Won’t the monster be angrier now?” Prompto gave one last look at the tunnel before rushing to follow. “It laughed before attacking... It’s going to be mad that we did that.” 

“Quit worrying about its feelings, we need to get out of here.” Noctis realized that Prompto had a point. Some of these daemons possessed a certain intelligence, and one as vicious as their latest encounter would probably try attacking again. “Prompto, move up here.” 

The blond moved to take point, confused. “Noct?” 

Ignis nodded at the king’s decision. “Yes, we’ll not have a repeat of Fociaugh Hollow.” Gladio laughed. “That one was a snake. This creature is a spider.” 

“Doesn’t matter, it’s still gross!” Prompto summoned his gun as he remembered that particular horror. He would be ready if anything tried to grab him again. 

Twenty minutes. Twenty tense, slow, ice cave navigating minutes of jumping at every shadow or trick of their flashlights. 

After five more minutes, they all heard the eerie laughing again. 

“Guys, she’s back.” Prompto held his gun tighter, and the other three pulled out their weapons. Noctis peered down a sloping tunnel as they passed. “This time we won’t knock it down, we finish it off. Okay?” 

The others nodded. 

They waited for the inevitable attack. 

Nothing happened. 

“It’s toying with us.” Ignis shifted, and looked at the others. “Calm down, don’t-“ 

Prompto and Noctis screamed as something wrapped around their ankles and yanked them away from the older two. They went sliding down the tunnel, and before Ignis or Gladio could do anything the monster leapt from its hiding spot. It rammed into Ignis, pushing him down a different tunnel. Gladio got one good swipe in before it knocked him back and retreated. 

The royal bodyguard cursed. 

It had gone down the tunnel that the younger two had disappeared into, but Gladio was disoriented from the suddenness of the attack. He chose the wrong path. 

-o-

Ignis sat up, groaning. he began calling for his friends before stopping. He needed a plan that wasn’t just panicked yelling. 

That thing knew it needed to split them up. It couldn’t defeat them united... 

Ignis prayed that the younger two were still together, at least. It looked like they went down the same tunnel, but if the cave path split then they would be powerless to stop it while falling. As he thought, Ignis made his way through the frozen prison that this cave had become. 

Drat. A vertical wall. Any footholds were iced over, so climbing was not possible. 

Unless... 

Ignis summoned his daggers. He knew the royal weapons were not suitable replacements for mountaineering equipment, but drastic situations called for drastic solutions. He stabbed at the ice, making a series of notches that he prayed he could use as footholds as he climbed. 

-o-

As soon as Noctis had felt something grab his ankle he knew things would get ugly. 

After sliding down the ice, he sat up. “Prom?” 

Silence. 

He looked around. Where had he gone? Prompto had been right there, he had heard the blond screaming as they fell down the tunnel! Had he slipped down another path? Noctis warped up the tunnel again, his sword digging into the ice. 

There was a split. Well, two splits. Damn. Which one was the right path? 

“PROMPTO!?” 

“NOOOCCTT! I’M DOWN -“

“PROMPTO!? PROOOMPTO!!!????” Noctis couldn’t tell which tunnel the yell had come from. He warped before stopping. Were those gunshots? They definitely were, but which? tunnel? was? it!? He was wasting valuable time while his friend was obviously in danger. Choosing a tunnel he warped once more, praying that it was the right one and that Prompto was okay. 

-o-

The blond landed with a yelp before leaping up and drawing his pistol. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed another starshell bullet before halting. Was that yelling? It was! Noct was calling! He began to answer his friend.

“NOOOCCTT! I’M DOWN -“ 

Something sticky was suddenly over his mouth. The surprise made him stumble back a step and panic coursed through him when he heard Noctis calling for him again. He tried to yell out but this odd... was this webbing?! Well, a spider daemon was chasing them, what else would it be??

Remembering that he needed more light than his flashlight could provide, he returned to his frantic task of loading his gun. Something brushed his arm, startling him, and the starshell bullet fell. In a panic he began firing normal rounds, praying that the sound would guide his friends to him as he tried to fight the unseen foe. 

Forgetting for a moment that the substance was covering his mouth, he tried to yell again in vain. Damn it! Every bullet missed (not that he could see that). He suddenly felt more of the web as it was shot at him. Furiously he kicked, hoping to hit something. The web trapped his arms at his sides. 

Prompto felt himself being lifted and he immediately tried to wiggle out of the daemon’s grasp. Where was she... it... taking him!? Frustration bubbled within him as he realized he why the monster had attacked him first. As the youngest and smallest of the group, he probably looked like the easiest target. It wasn’t fair. Had he been able to actually see the Arachne, he could have shot it down. But no. The monster had resorted to attacking from the shadows. 

A thought crossed his mind. What if Ignis and Gladio had already fallen prey while he was sliding down the tunnel? He had been screaming, he would never have even heard them calling for help. Especially not if it had covered their mouths with this web like it had done to him. No, no, they had to be safe. They HAD to be. 

Really, where was this thing taking him!? They had been traversing the tunnels for a good two minutes when Prompto remembered that Noctis had been calling for him. At least that meant he was okay. Maybe he could find the others. Again, assuming they weren’t already eaten. 

Prompto’s mind raced as he tried to think of a way out of this. He needed to find the others. Aw man. This was worse than that snake lady. 

-o-

The Arachne deposited her bait in her section of the grotto. She usually ate the smaller daemons, like the imps or the occasional flan. Tonight, though, she would have a new treat. The Arachne shot more web at her captive’s legs when he tried to scoot away. No escaping, little human. Hmm, and the other three delicacies would come straight to her. She had sensed a strong bond between them, and knew that she needed to be cunning. 

It was simply a matter of waiting for them to fall into her trap.


	2. Chapter 2

Noctis was sure he chose the wrong tunnel. 

There was no sign of Prompto, and the gunshots had stopped. Noctis cursed. He was supposed to be protecting his friends! Yeah, technically the Crownsguard’s job was to, well, guard the crown... But he didn’t like the thought of his best friends being hurt. And yes, Prompto had improved despite his minimal training, but they were fighting a daemon that had a home field advantage. It had probably already hurt Ignis and Gladio. 

Noctis swore that once they got out of this he was driving them all to Galdin Quay for a vacation. 

The king stopped warping to listen closely to... what was that? It sounded like when his sword dug into the ice. Dropping down from his last perch, he crept to the edge of a drop. 

Ignis!? 

The advisor was scaling the ice wall with much difficulty. He hadn’t made it very far, but he was high enough that a slip up would hurt. Noctis leaned over the edge. “Specs, stay there.” 

“Noct? Oh, th-thank ...goodness you’re safe, huh... W-Where? Where are the others?” Ignis was out of breath, and still struggling not to fall. Noctis warped down and looked at the wall. “I don’t know, but I’m worried about Prompto. He was yelling, but then he went quiet. Come down, Ignis, I have an idea.”

“I had hoped you two would be together.” Ignis was on the floor again, panting as he stood on solid ground. Noctis told him to move back. Summoning sword after sword, he threw them at the ice wall. It made a ladder of sorts for Ignis to climb. The tactician cautiously grabbed onto a sword handle and stepped on one of the lower blades. It was sideways, and his foot had enough room. It held his weight. 

Climbing with the sword ladder was a lot easier. 

When Ignis was nearing the top Noctis warped up and held out his hand. He dragged his friend up and over the edge. They sat there a minute, Ignis was worn out from the climb. “I’m fine now. Let’s find the others.” Having two flashlight beams made the search party more successful. They crept through the icy grotto, listening for any sign of their missing party members. 

Ignis stopped in front of a fork in the road. “Do you hear that?” Noctis nodded. “It sounds like fighting.” “Exactly. From the clanging, I’d wager that Gladio is close.” 

“Which tunnel?” 

“Stay here.” Ignis walked into one. Realizing that the sound must have been from the other path, he walked back to Noctis. “This way.” 

Sure enough, Gladio was fighting some flans further down. “There you are! How about a little help? They just keep coming!” The trio fought through the gelatinous nightmares. Battlefield cleared, they reconvened to discuss what their next move was. “Any idea where Prompto is?” 

“I found this a while back, but I didn’t hear any answer when I called for him.” Gladio held up the starshell bullet he had stepped on, the one Prompto had dropped. Noctis took it, and clenched the bullet in his fist. “Come on, we need to find him.” 

Ignis put a hand on his king’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’s safe. He’s a smart young man, and he’s stronger than we give him credit for.” Even for all his faith in his youngest friend, Ignis was still worried about him. “Now, we came from that side. Gladio? Where did you enter this area from?” 

“That way. And that other tunnel is a dead end. I checked already.” 

“That just leaves down this way. Let’s go.” Noctis led the charge. 

-o-

Prompto had summoned one of Ignis’ daggers in an attempt to cut through the webbing. 

Unfortunately, the monster had noticed and shot out more webbing. Ignis’ daggers were now glued to the floor. 

The creature must have been satisfied that he was truly trapped now, because it moved out of his sight. It sounded like it was... leaving? Prompto squirmed with newfound hope. If it was gone then his bindings wouldn’t increase if he tried escaping again. Only his left hand was free, his right hand was used for the daggers and so it was stuck in webbing. 

Damn it. He could summon a gun, but what would he shoot at? Even if the monster was here, he couldn’t aim properly with the way he was tied up. There had to be something he could do!! 

After a few more minutes of wiggling, he stilled. He thought he heard footsteps. Prompto summoned the gun anyway, and pointed so that he wouldn’t accidentally shoot his own leg. Tsk, that would have been the icing on the cake. 

He fired, hoping that the monster wouldn’t come back because of the noise. As he aimed he felt a lump in his jeans pocket. 

The fire spell that Noct had given him! 

Prompto dropped the gun and hurried to pull the magic flask out of his pocket. As he fought it out his friends found their way into the tunnel. “PROMPTO!” 

The Arachne dropped down from the ceiling, landing squarely between the newcomers and her previous catch. She was going to eat well tonight. 

Noctis warped, aiming for one of the many legs of the creature, as Ignis called to their trapped friend. “Are you in need of a potion?” Prompto couldn’t really answer, and Noctis mistook his silence. He must have been pretty bad off if he couldn’t talk, right!?

Gladio swung at another spider leg, but the creature jumped. Noctis took this opportunity to get to Prompto. The king tried to rip at the webbing, but the blond was shaking his head furiously. Noctis found the fire spell clutched in his friend’s hand. “Right! Hold on just a little longer, okay?” 

He stood up and turned back to see where Ignis was. The advisor and shield were currently fending off some lightning attacks. “Ignis! Use sagefire!” 

Ignis instantly lit his daggers and Noctis threw the fire spell. The new light and heat confused the monster, distracting it enough that Gladio was able to land a disabling blow. Ignis stabbed the blazing blades into the downed creature’s face. 

The older two joined Noctis as he tried to cut away the webbing holding their youngest brother. “Stay still, Prompto, I’m going to... There. Better?” 

Prompto nodded, finally able to speak and move and oh em gee it felt great just to stand up again! “Thanks, guys. Sorry I couldn’t do more-“ 

“Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t have thought to use fire as a distraction. Thank goodness you still had that spell.” Noctis cuffed Prompto upside the head. No way he was going to let the gunner put himself down. The monster obviously had a plan, it wasn’t any of their faults that events had happened the way they did. 

“Yes, it was a good thing you were shooting while we were looking for you. I was able to follow the sound.” Ignis recognized what Noctis was doing, and felt that he was right. No need for insecurity right now. It was time to escape. Gladio felt the same and urged them all to move. “Come on, guys, let’s go. The sealed door can wait.”

-o-

Back outside, they recounted what they had experienced while separated. The drive back to the nearest caravan was wonderfully uneventful. 

Prompto stretched out after one of Ignis’ masterpieces. “Thanks again, guys.” 

Noctis put down his plate. “For what?” 

“Finding me in the cave.”

“Did you really think we’d leave you there?” Gladio leaned forward. “You think that badly of us?”

“No!! It’s just, well, the monster was obviously trying to use me as bait or something... It put us all in more danger, I couldn’t fight to help-“

“Hmm. Well, that’s good. It speaks volumes that a daemon can tell we care about each other enough to risk life and limb.” Ignis stood up to get some more food. “As for the ‘inability’ to fight... You thought instead. You used what resources you had to aid us. Isn’t that what teamwork is about?”

“Yeah, you did, so drop it already. I never want to see or even think about a spider woman again.” Noctis nudged Prompto’s knee with his foot from his spot in the cheap plastic caravan chair. 

Prompto nodded, smiling to himself. These guys were the best. He resolved to do better, and stay by their sides just as they did for him. “Me neither. Spider women are the worst.”


End file.
